Mineral wool is a fibrous material normally made from molten rock or slag with its main use being as an insulating material. Mineral wool may be produced from many different raw materials. In the United States, mineral wool is normally produced from copper or steel mill slag. It has been discovered that mineral wool may also be produced from coal slag due to its similar chemical nature to copper and steel mill slag.
Slag is one of the by-products from the combustion of coal in cyclone boilers used to generate electric power. In the cyclone boilers, the molten slag settles at the bottom of the boiler in a pool, drops into a slag tank, and then drops approximately ten feet into water. When the slag hits the cooling water, it is solidified instantly and slurried out of the plant. Prior to this invention, there was no use for the slag and the slag was dumped as waste.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a method and means for producing mineral wool from coal slag.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for producing mineral wool from coal slag wherein the coal slag is removed from the slag tank and is maintained at a sufficient temperature so as to remain in the molten state so as to permit the fiberization of the slag into mineral wool fibers.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a means for collecting and transferring coal slag from a slag tank in a cyclone boiler so that the coal slag may be formed into mineral wool fibers.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.